http://www.humanswhogrowfood.com/

Humans Who Grow Food, Toronto, ON (2026)

05/25/2026

Meet Amanda from Charlotte, NC, USA

“I am a regenerative, no-spray gardener who embraces the power of the soil food web to feed my garden. I grow food because the food we grow at home is completely within our control. I know what has been sprayed on it, or better yet, what has NOT been sprayed on it; I can control the soil it’s grown in and every step of the growing process. We know food grown at home in healthy soil is more nutritious and tastes better too.

Not knowing how our food is treated from seed to table is what inspired me to start growing food on a larger scale at home. We are located outside Charlotte, NC and my garden is roughly 250 square feet divided up in various raised beds. I also have a plot at at community garden down the road to increase my sunny growing space.
I grow a mixture of fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs and native plants. I get the most joy from trying to grow new, unusual things; like turmeric, stevia, butterfly pea vine, jicama, egyptian walking onions and rattlesnake master.

Fostering a healthy soil food web that in turns feeds my plants combined with integrated pest management practices have resulted in an abundant, healthy garden.

I love growing all my plants from seed and I have three favorite sources for seeds. If I want to place one order and get vegetables and flowers, I use Pinetree Garden Seeds who has a wide selection of both. If I want some hard to find flower varieties, I like Swallowtail Garden Seeds. And if I want native seeds I love Prairie Moon Nursery.

I think the biggest hurdle to gardening is letting go. Realizing that it’s better to work with nature instead of trying to control it. Some years are better than others and managing expectations is key for not being disappointed. On the other hand, these lessons are also the biggest rewards. It is incredibly freeing and less stressful when you stop trying to control everything and work with nature.”

05/23/2026

Meet Jenna and Casey from , Cape Charles, Virginia, USA 🇺🇸

“We’re a husband-and-wife team working together to grow clean, chemical-free vegetables for our community.

Our journey started when we moved from Chicago to the rural Eastern Shore to be closer to family and raise our kids in a place where they could explore the outdoors. I’m a high school art teacher, so I knew I’d be able to find work. But my husband, Casey, had been a trader and we weren’t quite sure what his path would look like out here in the middle of nowhere.

In the beginning, Casey stayed home with our kids while I taught. He decided to start a garden—even though we had no clue what we were doing. Before long, we were growing more food than we could eat and began giving it away to neighbors. My mom joked that since a farmer’s market had started in her neighborhood, maybe we should try selling there. We laughed at first—us, farmers? But money was tight, and honestly, we were starting to feel discouraged. So we gave it a try.

That first year was rough. We made a lot of mistakes, and there were plenty of failures. We told ourselves if things didn’t turn around in year two, we’d need to rethink everything. But slowly, we learned. Customers started coming back. We joined more markets. Bit by bit, things began to grow.

One of my favorite moments is Thanksgiving, knowing that so many families in our community are sitting down to meals that include our vegetables. It feels like we get to be part of their memories.

Our town has a table called Ruth’s Garden in front of a local church. It’s “leave what you can, take what you need.” We often drop off leftover veggies there for anyone in the community who could use them.

Everyone should grow at least one vegetable. It makes you appreciate farmers and the food system in a whole new way. Also, people often ask how we get our kids to eat so many vegetables. The secret is that they’ve always had the chance to pick food straight from the field. For them, it’s an adventure, not a chore. Growing something with your child watching it sprout, picking it together, and eating it fresh can completely change the way they see food.”

05/18/2026

Meet Rhiannon from Devon, UK 🇬🇧

“Six years ago, on whim, I took on an allotment in my village, having never grown a thing in the years before and with no idea of the transformation it would bring to my life. I learnt from the people already growing on the site, from friends and family and from the amazing online growing community.

I'm still learning the craft but I've discovered a passion for growing and regenerating the land through working in partnership with nature, biodiversity and wildlife to create spaces where we can grow flowers and food to feed the community.

I have started a project, , where we grow fresh nutritious vegetables on around 1/4 of an acre. We donate them to food banks to help people experiencing food poverty in Devon.

As the founder of Devon Dig and Donate CIC, I spend a lot of time working with other community initiatives such as Exeter Food Action - who distribute food to various food action initiatives and food banks that support those experiencing food poverty.

We also work with our local probation team and other local community groups who are offering support to individuals who are coming out of the prison system.

I am also currently working with an amazing team of people on a national campaign to embed food, farming and sustainability into the National Curriculum in the UK.

The success of our community project relies on the support from our amazing team of hard working volunteers. Community gardening offers a wonderful opportunity to connect with others and cultivate plants. It is especially fulfilling when your efforts contribute to the wellbeing of the community.

Please get in touch with us to volunteer for the project. Please spread the word about us and what we are doing.”

05/18/2026

Meet Rhiannon from Devon, UK 🇬🇧

“Six years ago, on whim, I took on an allotment in my village, having never grown a thing in the years before and with no idea of the transformation it would bring to my life. I learnt from the people already growing on the site, from friends and family and from the amazing online growing community (mainly on instagram).

Fast forward to 2025 and I am now growing my own food to support my family and have started a community growing project, Devon Dig and Donate CIC, to grow fresh, nutritious food for those experiencing food poverty in Devon. I am now truly converted to gardening and growing and want to show people that it isn’t as scary or difficult as we might think!

I grow food as I wholeheartedly believe that homegrown is best! Organically grown food is so much better for us and growing your own is immensely fulfilling. There is no better feeling that picking vegetables fresh from the veg patch for lunch or dinner, or sharing food and flowers with friends and family. I’ve also found that growing my own food and gardening has been transformational for my mental health and wellbeing. I find connecting with nature and nurturing my plants on the land one of the most mindful and calming things to do.

I have an allotment which is approximately 7 metres by 14 metres where I grow a range of vegetables including brassicas, roots vegetables, onions, garlic and lots of other delicious veggies. I am growing more and more flowers and dahlias and sweet peas remain my firm favourites!

Eating your home grown food is so fulfilling and is a wonderful feeling, to know that you have grown and nurtured a plant into fruition is wonderful. I also love teaching other people how to grow their own food and seeing them get excited about it.

Anyone can grow, in any space and once you’ve started you won’t look back! Don’t let potential costs put you off, there are so many ways you can garden on shoestring - free compost from the council, reusing containers, free plant pots on local market websites, and free seeds from seed swaps”.

05/14/2026

ALERT: Check out all the before and after pictures to see the beautiful transformation of this urban backyard into a thriving garden!

Meet Char and Marv from Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦

“We have cultivated something special in Toronto – a thriving community that shares our passion for homegrown food. Our mission is simple: get as many people to grow their own food, regardless of experience or space available.

We fell in love with growing food because not only is it amazing to eat fresh homegrown food, but you also know what you put into it and the joy you get when you share it with family, friends and the community. Working within city constraints, we transformed our backyard into a container garden, proving that space limitations need not limit growing ambitions.

Gardening never stops for us; we are always looking for solutions to continue to grow our food – no matter what season. From outdoor gardening, garage grow tent to hydroponics, year-round gardening is truly possible, even through Toronto’s harsh winters.

We’re passionate about sharing knowledge and helping others succeed in their growing journeys. Through our content and community engagement, we share solutions for common urban gardening challenges. We create vertical spaces and utilize our small backyard to grow more food, maximizing every inch to produce fresh vegetables year-round and proving that even limited spaces can yield abundant harvests.

Our philosophy guides everything we do: “We believe in simple living, loving what you do, and doing it with love.” For us, the greatest rewards come from empowering countless others that growing your own food is truly possible no matter your experience level or available space.”

05/12/2026

Foraging School is an opportunity to learn how to identify, harvest and enjoy the abundance of food and medicine that is growing in your region while deepening your connection with Earth and growing your community.

05/03/2026

A heartwarming example of the remarkable achievements possible with limited resources and local materials when an entire community comes together.

Meet Joseph Otieno from Kenya 🇰🇪

“I’m working on an organic permaculture farming project in the Nyathuongweno Community. The goal of this project is to create a place where people can come together and learn sustainable farming and permaculture skills. Through this project, individuals and families gain experience and can share these skills with others to help them live more self-sufficiently and sustainably.

We want our students to spread knowledge about organic farming and permaculture, helping others thrive. We are building a community that offers a healthier, eco-friendly lifestyle. We also encourage the use of these skills in the local community and with our neighbors. Our vision is to create a network of similar communities across the country and beyond, which will serve as learning centers for a sustainable future.

The project is fun, family-friendly, and focused on teamwork, respecting each other, and helping the whole community. We aim to be fair, efficient, and productive while maintaining high standards. As a community organization in Kenya, we focus on using local resources to improve the lives of households.

Our work focuses on reducing poverty and illiteracy. We provide disadvantaged youth, orphans, and school dropouts with permaculture and organic farming skills. They learn simple farming methods that can improve their economic situation.

The project is located in the Nyathuongweno Community Permaculture Project Village, Homa Bay County, in the eastern part of Lake Victoria.

**Mission:** To end poverty and illiteracy, and to create innovative farming technologies that help communities thrive.”

04/29/2026

“I’m Stephanie Thurow . I’m the author of three small batch food preservation cookbooks, Can It & Ferment It, WECK Small-Batch Preserving and WECK Home Preserving. I’m also the co-author of Small-Scale Homesteading.

We live in a suburb of Minneapolis without a lot of space, though we utilize what space we do have very well. We grow hundreds of pounds of fruits and vegetables in our front and back yards each year. We raise a small flock of laying hens for fresh eggs. We tap our silver maple tree and make delicious homemade maple syrup. I do a lot of canning, fermenting and other food preservation year round.

I started preserving food about twenty years ago and it inspired me to want to grow more of what I put up. Once my daughter was old enough to help in the gardens, her excitement and interest in nature ignited something inside of me that inspired me to want to grow more and do even more from home. We’ve continually expanded our garden spaces year after year. I believe it’s important to teach children how to grow and cook food. Children are learning valuable life lessons while they help in the garden and in the kitchen.

We grow food because homegrown, freshly harvested food tastes incredible. We enjoy the process from seed to plate (or from seed to jar to plate), it’s incredibly rewarding. I really like knowing how my food was grown and handled throughout the process. Plus, it’s beautiful! I absolutely love having my yard flourishing and buzzing with life.

It brings so much joy to make a meal with our homegrown bounty. I love sharing my harvest and preserved goods with friends, family and my neighbors. It’s satisfying to see the growth from a tiny seed into a thriving, active, ecosystem. Working in the garden gives me much purpose during the growing season. I love taking an idea from my mind, putting it on paper and then physically creating it with my hands, hard work and love. Gardening gets my body moving and I’m exercising while enjoying the process. It’s exceptionally rewarding for so many reasons.”

04/26/2026

Meet Sonia Manchanda from Bangalore, India 🇮🇳

“I am a naturalist and a designer with a love for open spaces, clean, green and sustainable living. My family moved to Bangalore for its weather and its reputation as a verdant garden city. The soil holds possibility. That possibility also is for new knowledge and ventures. So the city attracts talent, grows rapidly, unchecked.

We kept moving away from the center of the city while our work opportunities continued to grow. Finally we picked up a bunch of urban plots and returned about an acre of urban land, chemical and concrete free - to nature. Reverse urbanization!

We have been revitalizing the land which did not have a single shrub or tree on it, for over 20 years, turning it into a farm and with the trees grown, nearly a forest : farm in the heart of a totally urban new part of the city. Hemmed in by high rises, a lone acre lung.

Growing food is the most fulfilling thing one can do, to seed, nurture, harvest and create wonderful and fresh new recipes to nourish and inspire family and friends. It’s a fundamental human and creative act.

In a busy life - when nature gives you plenty, that too can be a challenge. We had 500 coconuts in one harvest and we had to figure setting up a mini plant at the farm to make virgin coconut oil.

Learning to respect nature and its interdependence and resilience and the sheer knowledge that comes along is rewarding. I learnt how to plant a cocoa tree from the farmers in Amazonia, through a friend. And how to harvest the beans. Our daughter is a farm child, rooted, eats fruits off the tree and knows the difference in taste between home and commercially grown produce. Every child deserves that in their childhood. Without roots, we are sadly adrift.

I believe that the soil beneath our feet is the most creative surface there is – admit it, we can go to the moon but we cannot grow a tree – food, flowers. How can we not see that and cover the natural growth spirit with our so called inert, lifeless manufactured world.

Pick up a handful of soil and and feel it!”

04/24/2026

Meet Kaelyb Lokrantz from in Beloit, Wisconsin, USA

“The Merrill Community Sharing Garden (MCSG) is a non-profit urban sharing garden in Beloit, Wisconsin operated under Community Action Inc of Rock and Walworth Counties. All the produce that is grown is given away to residents of Beloit’s Merrill neighborhood at no cost. The Merrill Neighborhood is one of the lowest income six block radiuses in southern Wisconsin.

The food that is grown in the MCSG reflects the diversity of the neighborhood. Collard greens, green tomatoes, okra, lemon grass, tomatillos, epazote, and papalo are some of the diverse crops grown. We always make it a focus to do a Three Sisters Native American garden of corn squash and beans. The beans that we plant in the Three Sisters are Cherokee Trail of Tears Bean, an heirloom bean from Seed Savers Exchange that were saved by the Cherokee after being physically carried across the Trail of Tears from the Smokey Mountains to Oklahoma. This serves as a living land acknowledgement to those who stewarded the land before us.

Kaelyb partners with the University of Wisconsin Extension Foodwise program to provide nutrition classes for youth groups in their outdoor classroom. These classes focus on eating fruits and vegetables that youth can see in the garden.

Kaelyb has taught for the last 7 years with the Beloit Fresh Start program. He teaches students the importance of growing your own food and protecting the environment.

Kaelyb also focuses on community education, giving local talks on the importance of eating locally, composting, food systems, and wildscaping your yard.

In 2022, the MCSG won the Wisconsin Governor’s Award for Excellence in Community Action. This award recognizes one Wisconsin program each year that eliminates poverty, gives families hope and exemplifies the spirit of Community Action.

The MCSG is a common ground where people from all walks in life can interact in nature, improve their mental health, access fresh produce, and breathe”.

04/23/2026

Meet Riue Melvina Brown from Delaware, USA 🇺🇸

“Forest Farmer, Herbalist, Alchemist, Agroecologist, Ecospiritualist, Permaculturist, Practicing Shaman, Educator, and Social Activist living and working in the Greater Philadelphia area. Seeded in the intersections of food, medicine, spirituality. and community: focused truly on the heart to nature connection, who profoundly believes in a more beautiful world.

I was inspired to start growing food well over 25 years ago as a natural part of my lifestyle and heritage. Seeing the benefits for myself, I then began to share with friends, family, and community. This later in life became my lifestyle as well as the embodiment of who I am. A natural offshoot of my Black indigenous heritage, I also saw the healing benefits it offered, emphasizing reconnection to the land and all sentient beings, ultimately translating to the benefits of our planet.

As a very young child, I recall my parents growing their own food, and that exposure became a natural way of being, sustaining us as a family who had very little. I recall our thriving backyard garden and all of the edibles and medicinals it produced. I recall my mother harvesting certain herbs and using them to calm our sore throats, respiratory ailments, and stomach upsets, among other things. I remember my father being so proud of his garden and the time he spent in it, being proud of his large harvest from such a small space. I recall so much abundance coming out of that garden, which became integral to both our food consumption and healing, as my family did not have very much money at the time, and how proud they were of it. I also recall, as a small child, going out to that garden and everything being so vibrant and alive. Our living quarters were small, but that garden seemed so large to me. I could feel the energy of the plants, and oftentimes, my parents would just find me sitting out in the garden as a small child. My mother was a stay-at-home mom at the time, my dad was a former military and worked in a lumberyard; each exhibited a natural green thumb and a propensity towards valuing their connection to the earth and natural world, even with all of the distortions in the world and the challenges that life presented. I think I learned at an early age that the garden was a place of solstice, nourishment, and rest.

My journey really took a quite unconventional path to get to where I am today. After spending considerable time in the corporate environment, I found my way back home to the plants, food, and medicine through my community-based work at my Healing Center and Urban Regenerative Forest Farm, where I focus on growing food and medicine for the community, offering education, and offering space for others to co-create in community. We approach all of this through an indigenous lens expressed through sacred practice, reverence, and utilizing the principles of Permaculture.

I am also both an Academic and a lifelong learner. The work in all of my environments is profoundly intersecting and contributing to my activism and contribution I am to offer to the world . I believe our species is awakening to a new level of consciousness, which both recognizes our profound interconnection that we are all one and facilitates this interconnection and recognition of diverse cultures, highlighting our individualized expressions, and bears witness to our common threads of interconnection. Food becomes the center of this ever-present dance of awareness. I am passionate and have great compassion in my pursuit of doing my part to contribute to this awareness.

Presently I am finishing up my second Doctorate a PhD in Sustainability from Prescott College; where I am exploring the rewilding of a new world view through the lens of Ecospirituality, and the Heart to Nature Connection. I believe that the essence of growing food becomes deeply rooted in the fact that what we transform on a small scale impacts the bigger view. Growing food brings us back to our connection with nature and sacred reverence and respect to all beings. I am grateful at this time to be a part of this awareness.
Quotes I believe speak to this are from two of my favorite authors.

What we need right now is a radical, global love that grows from deep within us to encompass all life."
- Adrienne Maree Brown

"We have to believe in a more beautiful world in order to serve it."
- Charles Eisenstein

Dr. Riue Melvina Brown is the Founder and Executive Director of InnerSource Wellness Center and Urban Regenerative Sustainability ( link in comments )

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